A Sudden Transfer Order

“Nino-kun, a moment if you please.”

At the call of Workshop Master Barnabas, I immediately looked up from the paper on my desk where I was re-checking today’s work quota.

I had been prepared for this in the back of my mind, but now that the moment had arrived, a lump formed in my throat.

I intended to stand up quietly, but the indiscreet glares of my colleagues swarmed over me all at once.

I’ve worked at this Royal Alchemy Workshop for nearly ten years, but I still haven’t mastered anything beyond basic transmutation arts. Well, to be precise, I hadn’t until recently, but that hardly matters now.

Still, for the busy Workshop Master to personally call out to a low-ranking craftsman like me—it was only natural for the others to be curious.

Of course, it was almost certain that the conversation about to take place wasn’t about a “tasty” topic like a promotion or a prestigious transfer. The mere fact that he was personally summoning someone he rarely speaks to meant there was only one likely reason.

Leaking a sigh, I followed the Master into his office.

The sound of the door closing behind me brought a sudden realization that I was now separated from the familiar workshop. My heart wavered, despite the late hour. I knew it was too late for regrets, but I also knew that if I hadn’t acted, I would have regretted my inaction even more.

If I were to reflect on anything, it would be that my methods had been a bit too high-risk.

“Have a seat.”

“Yes, excuse me.”

Prompted by the room’s owner, I settled onto an expensive-looking leather sofa. It had a deep, sinking elasticity, but my spirits didn’t bounce back in the slightest.

I looked back into the face of my superior, who was watching me in silence.

He is a renowned alchemist, but many people wouldn’t take him for a craftsman given his gentlemanly appearance. Behind his favorite monocle sat intelligent gray eyes, a high bridge of the nose, and a well-groomed mustache. While the top of his head had thinned considerably with age, a single white horn protruding from just above his forehead stood out in its place.

An Oni.

The race that rules this Holy Kingdom of Vilnia, blessed by the protection of Light. Their bodies, which harbor healing powers, are large, resistant to disease, and long-lived. To top it off, many of them are strikingly beautiful.

Perhaps because of that, many of them blatantly look down on “Ordinaries” like me—those without divine protection. However, the man before me had never once shown such an attitude. Even now, the gaze Workshop Master Barnabas directed at me held a protective familiarity.

And a great deal of sympathy.

“It’s your tenth year this year, isn’t it?”

“Yes. You remembered well.”

The Master, having correctly guessed my years of service, nodded as if it were a matter of course.

“It was the year I became Workshop Master, you see—the year you officially became a craftsman here. …That was a truly difficult time.”

Perhaps because he rose from the commoner class, the opposition against Barnabas when he took office was quite fierce. Baseless rumors were spread, and one mysterious complaint after another would fly in. However, as a self-made craftsman, his skill was beyond doubt, and his instruction of subordinates was meticulous. Before long, the reputation of the items produced here became better than ever before.

I was sixteen back then, a mere fledgling who had just barely passed the recruitment exam. Furthermore, as an Ordinary with almost no future prospects, my treatment as a general errand boy shouldn’t have changed. Yet, the Master taught everyone without discrimination, even drilling the basics into me. I truly felt lucky to work under him.

And perhaps because I worked hard to meet his expectations, I managed to master basic transmutation for all six Magic Stones. I secretly take pride in the fact that I’ve repaid his kindness at least a little bit with that.

“I was grateful from the bottom of my heart to have you here. I still feel that way now.”

“It is I who cannot find the words to thank you for guiding me from scratch despite your busy schedule. …Besides, I’m just a ‘handyman,’ after all.”

As I let out a self-deprecating smile, the Master slowly shook his head. But he spoke neither in affirmation nor denial. He knew as well as I did that there was nothing to be done about that point.

The land we live upon is said to be formed from the remains of a giant dragon that died in ancient times. The power that dragon used to rule all creation transformed into elements called “mana particles.” Mana exists in everything and can trigger various phenomena. And “transmutation,” as practiced in this workshop, is the act of using Magic Stones—crystals of that mana—to interfere with and transform all things.

Of course, if you have the necessary tools, a human hand can perform similar processing. However, transmutation using Magic Stones has several major advantages. Most notable among them is the fact that it drastically saves an immense amount of time and effort. The individual mastery of specific tasks, which would be essential if making things normally, isn’t required at all for transmutation. As long as you improve your knowledge of materials and your handling of Magic Stones, you can create a wide variety of goods.

And to top it off, the resulting items are guaranteed to be of a certain quality. You only need the materials, the Magic Stones, and an alchemist who can handle them. There aren’t many means of production as convenient as this. For that reason, daily necessities like high-demand medicines and paper are now almost entirely dominated by transmuted goods in the market.

Transmutation is full of benefits, but naturally, it has its drawbacks. First, to become a practitioner, delicate manipulation of magical power is essential. This is surprisingly difficult. General sorcery and magic value the instantaneous output of magical power, so it’s the exact opposite way of using it. To put it simply, to put out a roaring fire, it’s faster to douse it with a tub of water than a cup. However, to pour the exact amount of water into a vessel, using a cup is more accurate and certain than a tub.

In that regard, an Ordinary like me is actually at an advantage because I have very little magical power to begin with due to a lack of innate protection. But it’s not that simple. The mastery of transmutation that draws out the power of high-level mana is only possible for races with protection. That was the common sense of the alchemy industry. So, it was only natural that I, having worked this job for nearly ten years, was still treated as a low-ranker.

One might then think it’s a job suited for those with protection, but that isn’t simple either. Because of their strong protection, races with it can only master the Magic Stones that match their own protection. Specifically, in the case of Workshop Master Barnabas, who is an Oni, he has the protection of Light and therefore can only perform transmutations using Light-attributed White Magic Stones.

In that sense, I am capable of performing basic transmutation with all six colors of Magic Stones. By the way, even for an Ordinary, the limit is usually two or three colors. To go back to the point: the tedious preparation of materials is left to the “Jack of all trades, master of none” Ordinaries, while the high-level finishing is the turn of the Protected Lords. This was why I was called a “do-it-all” or a “handyman.”

“Without your support, this workshop wouldn’t have functioned properly. At least, that is what I believe.”

“You overestimate me, Master. But hearing you say that makes me truly happy.”

“…………Which is exactly why… exactly why it is such a shame.”

The Master’s tone suddenly dropped, and he continued with a heavy expression.

“I have a few connections myself. It seems the members of the Dragon Lance Holy Knights have set their sights on a person who has been spreading unsettling rumors in various taverns over the past month. I was told they will move to arrest the suspect on charges of sedition within the next few days.”

“I… see.”

So, they found me out after all.

At the word “arrest”—a word that had been foreign to my life until now—I instinctively swallowed hard.

“I cannot understand why you would behave in such a way. However, knowing your personality, I imagine there was a reason you felt compelled to do so.”

“I am sorry. To have caused such trouble…”

As I hung my head, the Master exhaled quietly. After wiping his monocle with a handkerchief, he nodded slightly and continued.

“I, for one, cannot bear to see a disciple I raised with such care tied up in a prison. Therefore…”

I stood up and accepted the paper he held out, and my eyes widened at the transfer order written there.

“This is…?”

“It’s an unnamed, small frontier village near the southwest border. The village chief there is an old acquaintance of mine. He’s wanted an alchemist in the village for a long time. What do you think? Until the heat dies down, you could breathe the fresh air and relax your horns… ah, excuse me. Well, when one is this busy, a life in the countryside starts to sound not so bad.”

For a craftsman of the prestigious Royal Alchemy Workshop to open a workshop in such a remote place was, under normal circumstances, unthinkable. However, there was no doubt it was an excellent backwater to go into hiding. Furthermore, the arrangement was likely meant so that I could simply vanish if pursuers came looking for me.

“Losing you is a heavy blow, but ten years is also a major milestone. Why not take this opportunity to try standing on your own feet?”

As I fell silent, the Master spoke in a way that was subtly persuasive. Ordinarily, it would be easier to fire a subordinate who causes troublesome friction without question, or to hand them over to the officials immediately. To be honest, I had assumed it would be one of those two the moment I was called into this room.

Yet, this mentor of mine is the type of person who worries about his disciple first, even if the sparks of trouble might land on him. I’m so grateful I could cry.

However, the reason I was at a loss for words wasn’t because I was thinking of an excuse to refuse. It was because my eyes were glued to the location of the village written on the order. The Master’s offer was completely unexpected, but there was an even greater surprise written there.

No way.

To think things would connect like this, here of all places.

I took a deep breath and bowed my head deeply.

“For you to go to such lengths for someone like me… I don’t know how to thank you. I would be honored to accept.”

“I see… I am glad to hear it.”

To the Master, who wore a relieved smile, I took a quick glance toward my top-right and hurriedly continued.

“Once things have settled down over there, I will be sure to contact you. I know how busy you are, but I hope we have an opportunity to talk properly someday.”

The Master narrowed his eyes slightly, as if probing my somewhat hurried speech. But he didn’t pry and simply gave a light nod.

“Take whatever you need. I sincerely pray for your success.”

“You have taken great care of me for a long time. Thank you for everything, until the very end.”

While uttering my thanks, I looked down at the document in my hand once more.

Along the southwest border of the Holy Kingdom of Vilnia.

The frontier territory where the Dragon’s Back Mountains and the Dragon’s Arm Forest overlap.

If my memory serves me right, that was the place where “The Starting Village” should be.